Listeners over 55 prefer brighter headphones, possibly from age-related hearing loss

Evidence

The exception was listeners in the 55+ age category who tended to prefer HP2, a brighter headphone with less bass than the Harman target curve. A possible explanation could be age-related hearing loss; additional treble and less bass can help improve intelligibility. More research is needed to provide definitive answers. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1792

Categorization

• QUESTION: Whether age-related high-frequency hearing loss specifically drives spectral preference changes in headphone target curves is left open and worth investigating.
• XREF: Connects to presbycusis literature and to how optimal target curves may need to vary by listener demographics, echoing ideas about individualized HRTFs.
• SEED: Potential article angle: adaptive headphone target curves that shift with listener age, coupling psychoacoustics with demographic audiometric data.